South Korea’s primary airline Korean Air has announced plans to start weighing passengers before they take their flights.
The move follows a decision by the country’s transportation ministry to ensure accurate plane estimations.
According to an announcement by the airline, travelers will be required to step on a scale with all their luggage to establish the overall weight of everyone on board.
The weight data will then be collected anonymously and shared with the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.
“Korean Air passengers will be asked to step on scales with their carried-on items at each boarding gate. The data collated anonymously will be utilized for survey purposes and doesn’t mean overweight passengers will need to pay more.” a Korean Air representative said.
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The move will affect some travelers departing from Gimpo International Airport (GMP) from August 28 until September 3 and from Incheon International Airport (ICA) between September 8-19.
However, the airline confirmed that passengers who are uninterested in sharing their weight data can opt-out by informing a staff member.
The airline becomes the second one to execute such a program after the one carried out by Air New Zealand earlier this year.
Passengers checking in for an international flight at Auckland Airport between May and July 2023 were asked to step on a scale to provide weight data.
“We know stepping on the scales can be daunting. We want to reassure our customers there is no visible display anywhere. No one can see your weight, not even us,” a representative from Air NZ, the country’s national carrier, said at the time.
Air New Zealand had conducted a similar survey two years earlier and plans to continue doing this regularly in order to have updated data on the weight of passengers aboard.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), taking weight data is an effective way of ensuring that the passengers and luggage aboard do not exceed the permitted plane limit.
